Hockey refs in short supply: A new pandemic normal in Quebec
There have been plenty of shortages during the pandemic – bikes, lumber, new cars – but this is one that few people expected.
A lack of referees has hit Quebec’s recreational sports scene, especially hockey, making it hard for people to pick up their old pastimes the way they were hoping.
“This is going to be probably the hardest season we’ve ever had,” said Robert Hurtubise, the referee-in-chief for the Suroit district hockey league, just southeast of Montreal.
Meanwhile, the pace of rec sports has picked back up to full speed, or maybe even more.
“Kids are doing two or three games in one arena, maybe having time to have a snack, and then are booked in another arena 15 to 20 miles away,” he said.
“Believe me, I’m scared that by Christmas, some of the guys are gonna be burnt.”
Usually, Quebec's referee workforce stands between 4,600 to 4,800. This year, the roster has shrunk by as much as 30 per cent.
What happened? Essentially, a lot of the referees found other work during the long sports hiatus, said another organizer. And they came to see the less pleasant aspects of refereeing.
Organizers told CTV News it's normal for refs to be verbally berrated by people in the stands.
“They found that they could find jobs that maybe paid a bit less, but you know, nobody’s screaming at them, no one’s calling them names,” said Antony Monaco, who runs a league in east-end Montreal with more than 40 teams.
“At the end of the day, we're all human beings.”
There’s no shortage now of players, echoed Monaco, in the adult leagues as well as kids’ ones.
“There were a couple of instances where we had no ref and I had to referee,” he said.
“It happened maybe twice. It’s not the ideal situation, but whatever gets the job done.”
The shortage is a pattern across Quebec, say organizers. It means some leagues will have to put two refs on the ice instead of the usual three in the hopes of avoiding cancelled games.
Leagues are also trying to recruit more refs, but to do that they’ll have to face a bigger question: how to make the job enticing again.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.